Chennai: Residents of AGS Colony and surrounding neighbourhoods in Velachery West have demanded early construction of two proposed overpasses connecting Srinivasa Nagar 2nd Main Road and the Inner Ring Road (IRR), as the link is crucial for mobility and emergency access.Though the project was recently approved in the GCC budget, work is yet to begin. Now, more than 1,000 residents of interior neighbourhoods take nearly 1km long detour to reach IRR as there is no connection over Veerangal Odai, which is a drainage channel that carries excess rainwater from Adambakkam lake and surrounding areas to the Pallikaranai marshland. “It is an eight-year demand, and multiple GCC commissioners have visited the spot. The over-bridge connecting Srinivasa Nagar 2nd Main Road will help in swift crossing of the canal and travel between IRR and Velachery,” said AGS Colony residents welfare association secretary Geetha Ganesh. “While most of the southern side of Veerangal Odai towards Madipakkam is well connected to the MRTS–IRR, the northern side has been deprived of road access for decades. These approved road links will become a lifeline for more than 12 neighbourhoods,” she said.Residents say the lack of direct connectivity forces motorists to take long detours even for short distances. V Sundar, a Ram Nagar resident, said travel time to reach the IRR could drop from nearly 10 minutes to less than two minutes once the link road is built. He added that pedestrians and school traffic, including students from San Academy School nearby, face hardships every day due to the lack of direct access. Residents say the bridge would significantly cut travel time and fuel consumption for thousands who commute daily to the MRTS corridor and the Inner Ring Road. Ward 176 councillor V Anandam said the area is highly flood-prone and the absence of proper connectivity worsened the situation during the 2015 and 2023 floods. “During heavy rains, residents were unable to exit the locality. Work is expected to start soon. It will be completed in six months,” he said.
